Best of Malayalam 2019
Kumbalangi Nights is a heart-felt family drama about four brothers and their journey from dysfunction to wholeness. First-time director Madhu Narayanan and writer Syam Pushkaran explore what it means to be a man in today’s world and the part women play in inspiring and enriching them. The story is set in Kumbalangi, a real fishing village on the outskirts of Kochi, Kerala. Kumbalangi was one of India’s first eco-tourism destinations. The location itself is filmed with lots of affection for its’ natural beauty, serenity, and charm by cinematographer Shyju Khalid.
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The story is centered around four brothers who have struggled growing up fatherless and abandoned. Saji (Soubin Shahir) is the eldest brother. He remembers his father, a widower, who took in a woman and her mute son, Bonny (Sreenath Bhasi), after her husband had left her. The couple then had two boys of their own, Bobby (Shane Nigam) and Franky (Matthew Thomas). When the father dies, the mother has a breakdown and leaves the boys to join a religious order. The boys share the house they grew up in but that is all they have in common. The house itself was left in an unfinished state – no front door, no plastered walls. It is on the waterway but is isolated from the rest of the village, down an unpaved path where people occasionally dump unwanted kittens.
Franky, the youngest, is smart and responsible. He is a scholarship student, but he is ashamed to invite his school friends home. Bonny hangs out with his own friends mostly at a dance studio frequented by tourists. Saji and Bobby are aimless. Saji sponges off a migrant Tamil worker who he has rescued. Bobby lays around most of the day smoking weed. Saji and Bobby break out into fights at the slightest insult. Franky and Bonny are disgusted by their behavior the cause of the low reputation the family has in the village.
Life takes a turn when Bobby falls in love with Baby (Anna Ben). He realizes he needs a job to impress her traditional brother-in-law. Shammy (Fahadh Faasil) has a tight grip on the three women in his family and he is not about to let this lower-class loser into his family. This situation brings the brothers together in an effort to help Bobby.
Soubin Shahir, Fahadh Faasil, and Shane Nigam are excellent in their roles. Anna Ben is charming as sweet and self-assured Baby in her debut role. All the other characters fill the gentle landscape of this tourist haven nicely. Don’t miss spending a couple of hours of your time with them in Kumbalangi Nights.
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